


Fall Away

by MetaBlade



Series: Seeing Sounds [1]
Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms
Genre: Beaches, Blind Character, F/M, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Permanent Injury, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23754496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetaBlade/pseuds/MetaBlade
Summary: The world fell away into a thin strip of nothing and everything, filled by the sounds of the sea and their laughter. He wished he knew how to tell her that she didn't need to pity him.
Relationships: Princess Daisy/Luigi
Series: Seeing Sounds [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1521467
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Fall Away

**Author's Note:**

> Part of my AU oneshot series where Luigi is permanently blind. These oneshots stand alone and can be read in any order, though this is the earliest one in the timeline so far.

I sat very still, listening to the sounds of people moving and breathing around me, soft as dead leaves rustling on an autumn night.

My fingers were clenched around Mario's arm in a grip that was bound to be painful, but the tension running through his body was not caused by physical discomfort. He was scared; I could tell. After knowing my brother all my life, there was no way I could fail to mistake the fear radiating from him like heat. If my own fear had been stronger, then maybe it would have drowned out his and I wouldn't have paid enough attention to notice. But right now, he was more afraid that I was, and I didn't understand why.

Doors kept opening and closing, mingled with the sound of pattering feet and murmuring voices. The sterile hospital smell was making me feel nauseated. Every few minutes, one of the people in the chairs around me would stand up and walk away, until it felt like me and Mario were the only ones left in the waiting room.

By the time a gruff male Toad's voice called out, 'Luigi?' my stomach was a churning pit of anxiety and I had to swallow to avoid gagging as I stood up to follow him. Mario practically dragged me into the doctor's office, his movements rough and clumsy, not yet accustomed to the reality of guiding a blind person. But I appreciated his efforts all the same, even when he pulled me straight into a doorframe and started babbling apologies like a drunk Goomba.

I didn't remember much of what happened in the doctor's room. They did tests, which mostly involved telling me to look in specific directions while they shone lights into my eyes and hummed thoughtfully. I could see the lights, though bit back any complaints about how the brightness was making my head hurt. The doctor asked questions, which I answered in a monotone, because they were exactly the same questions I'd been asked on my last three checkups, and my answers were no different.

I couldn't see the doctor's expression when he announced that the appointment was over, telling me in a tone of forced cheerfulness that he'd be seeing me again in two weeks' time. But as I was led towards the door on my brother's arm, I heard, quite clearly, a breathy sigh and a whisper of 'No change,' which instantly made all the muscles in Mario's arm turn to stone.

* * *

'So, what did they say?'

I breathed slow and deep, inhaling the scent of coffee that hung low and heavy in the air. It was a heady aroma, one that reminded me so much of lazy mornings back home before everything had been torn apart. More than just my life had been changed by what I dutifully referred to as 'The Incident'. Mario, Daisy, Peach, and my friend Toadette had all pestered me for the story of exactly how I lost my vision, yet somehow, I could hear in their voices that they didn't really want to know.

I curled my hand around the warm coffee mug with a gentle sigh. 'Daisy,' I said, injecting enough seriousness into my tone to make her realise how little I wanted to be asked. 'They've said exactly the same things for the last... how long has it been... a month? Nothing's changed. You can't expect it to at this point.'

I hated to upset her. I could feel her worry from across the table, but I'd have hated lying to her even more. I knew that despite my blunt honesty, Daisy would continue clinging to the hope that something could be done to fix my eyes. I had already come to terms with it, accepting - though with more than a few tears and no small amount of bitterness - that nothing could be done. This was my way of living now.

'Well,' she said after a long pause, 'let's not talk about that for a bit. Wanna go down to the beach? We haven't been there since before... y'know... and it's a really nice day today. We can walk along the sand and listen to the gulls. I'll even bring some food if you like.'

Her cheerfulness reminded me so much of the doctor's that it was almost more painful than hearing her cry over me, and Daisy hardly ever cried.

'OK,' I said, slowly getting to my feet and groping for the cane I'd left under the table. I wasn't accustomed to the feel of the cool plastic under my gloved fingers, but just holding the cane brought me so much relief. It connected me to the world again - in a way I hadn't been for so long. 'I'd like that.'

Her hand met my arm, warm fingers pressing lightly down as if trying to anchor me to reality with her physical presence alone. I wished I was better with words; I wished I could find a way to explain to her that she didn't need to pity me.

* * *

Warm sand, almost as smooth and malleable as liquid, rolled and shifted beneath my bare feet as I tentatively set foot on Mushroom Beach. I was less concerned about accidentally walking into the sea and more concerned about sharp rocks or broken glass that could slice my feet open. But Daisy was there, keeping a short distance ahead of me, and I trusted that she wouldn't let anything happen.

Trust, I'd realised, felt different now to how it had before. Before The Incident, it had been something I didn't even think about. Now, it was a different matter. I was beginning to realise just how deep my trust in my friends went, and that feeling struck me to the core.

Anything could happen out here. I was in public, blind and essentially defenceless; I could get mugged or kidnapped or I could trip on an obstacle and hurt myself.

But as long as I knew Daisy was nearby, I didn't feel the need to worry about any of those potential hazards quite so much.

'Over here, Weegee!' she called out from somewhere up ahead, bringing me sharply out of my musings. 'I found a nice little corner by the cliff where we can sit and eat.'

I shuffled towards the sound of her voice, feeling extremely conspicuous. This was stupid. How was I supposed to know exactly where to sit? Suddenly, she grasped my shoulders and gently pushed me down to the ground. I fought for a second and then gave in, my trust in her beating back the fear of the unknown.

I discovered cool rock underneath me. Apparently, Daisy had found a spot clear of sand, and judging by the coolness of the air here, we were sitting right in the shadow of the cliff. That meant the sun must be below the cliff, which meant it was behind us, and I knew that direction was west, which meant it was getting rather late in the afternoon, and...

The sound of Daisy opening something snapped my attention back to her, just in time to have a plastic bottle pressed into my cane-free hand.

'You look like you're a million miles away,' she said, in a voice so soft it barely resembled her voice at all. 'Coin for your thoughts?'

I chuckled, unable to help myself. 'They're not worth that much,' I murmured as I tilted the bottle back and drank, not expecting the sweetness of the liquid inside. It seemed to be pineapple juice. 'I was just thinking about... a few things, I guess. Actually, I wasn't thinking about much at all.'

'Well, obviously _something_ was going through your head,' she said humorously, sounding much more like the Daisy I knew and loved. Yes, loved - I might have a hard time admitting it, but The Incident had brought one good thing to my life. Now aware of how fleeting life could be, I could no longer bring myself to ignore my feelings for Daisy. I planned to confess to her - not today, but soon - in case another calamity befell us and I lost my chance forever. 'C'mon, Weegee, what is it?'

'Well...' I hesitated, then gave a wry grin. 'I was mostly just concentrating on not tripping over anything. But I was also kinda thinking... about how nice it is to hang out with you.'

Daisy was silent for a few seconds, and my imagination supplied me with a picture of her smiling fondly, a hint of a flush on her face, surprised yet pleased by my words.

'Yeah, it's been a while since we really hung out, hasn't it? I guess you've been busy, with doctor visits and all... and getting used to... well, you know.'

I heaved out a sigh. 'Daisy, can we just... go one day without mentioning that?'

Now my mind's eye was giving me images of her looking horrified, ready to hit herself for her believed stupidity and insensitivity. She always hated when she inadvertently upset me, even though I never blamed her for anything. I hurried to distract her before her thoughts could go too far down that road.

'It's not that I think we shouldn't ever talk about it,' I said carefully. 'But...' I sighed again; why was it so hard to put my feelings into words? I reached up to run my fingers through my hair, slightly pushing up the back of my cap in the process. 'I know that you, and Mario, and everyone really, thinks I'm traumatised by what happened and I need constant reassurance that everything's OK. Or that I'm bitter about it and I want to talk about how... _terrible_ my life is now. But it's not terrible. I'm perfectly happy. Well... maybe not _happy,_ but I know there's nothing I can do to fix this. And I've... accepted that.'

My faltering, stammering speech made me wince internally, and all the knowledge that Daisy didn't judge me for it failed to help. Maybe that was just another part of my life that I needed to accept - along with my nervousness, my weakness, and a hundred other things.

I drank my juice as I listened for her reaction, but she was quiet. The air was warm, filled with the white noise of rushing tides and the distant sound of young Toads playing in the sand. It painted a tranquil scene on the backs of my eyelids, and I didn't need vision to enjoy it.

'...You know, you surprise me sometimes, Weegee,' said Daisy at last, her voice pensive.

I gave a nervous chuckle. 'Why? Because you don't expect me to be able to deal with this?'

'No,' she said instantly. 'Not _you_ specifically, but... I can't imagine how _anyone_ could be so... at peace in your situation. You have every right to be bitter, but... you're just not.'

I moved restlessly, stretching out one leg and finding a pile of soft sand to sink my foot into. 'There's no point,' I said, almost mumbling it. 'I can either accept it and move on, or be angry forever. I'd rather be happy. Or if not happy, then at least... content?' I fumbled for the right word. 'And I'm sure you'd cope just as well in my situation. You're stronger than anyone I know.'

Only my current inability to see Daisy's face made me brave enough to say this out loud.

Her warm hand came down to rest on my ankle, the one that was almost submerged in sand, and I jumped. 'No,' she said with complete certainty. 'I could never do what you've done, Luigi. I don't wanna get cheesy, but you've overcome so much in such a short space of time, and I'm proud of you.' Her fingers squeezed my ankle affectionately, sending unfamiliar tingles through my entire body, quickening my breathing, making me want to grab her hand and pull her in for a hug... or more.

'I... ah...' Words failed.

She laughed - light and sweet as the waves - and let go of my leg. 'C'mon, let's eat,' she said, mercifully changing the subject. I could still hear the faintest note of sadness in her voice, and knew she was struggling to believe that I really was at peace with my situation. But in time, she'd understand. 'I packed way too much food.'

She unloaded the contents of the picnic basket onto the cool rocks and we helped ourselves to sandwiches and cold meat, chatting about everything that came to mind and nothing that was _really_ on our minds. Daisy was kind enough to steer away from mentioning The Incident even though she obviously had questions, and I couldn't be more grateful. She knew that all I wanted was a nice, relaxing day out, free from thoughts of my brother's worries and the rinse-and-repeat doctor visits.

So we just chatted. And for an hour or two, the entire world fell away into a thin strip of nothing and everything, filled with the soft sounds of the sea and our laughter.


End file.
